Italian cuisine: how to replace mozzarella?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

What is Italian cuisine famous for in the first place? Of course, cheeses and dishes, the basis or an important component of which is cheese. Pizza, pasta, ravioli, risotto, minestrone, caprese and many, many other dishes - all of them, even if they do not contain cheese, are most often served with it. Because, to paraphrase a well-known Russian proverb, every Italian or fan of Italian cuisine will tell you that you can't spoil a dish with cheese.

Famous Italian cheeses

I can't list all the names - at least four hundred types of the product are produced in Italy.

Perhaps the most famous cheeses that are difficult to replace with anything are mozzarella and parmesan. They quietly became frequent guests and even regulars of our menu, becoming part of the already familiar dishes.

Parmesan is most popular due to its versatility. Its excellent taste and consistency make it truly irreplaceable both as aindependent dish, and as a decoration. That is why it is made by many manufacturers, it is more affordable than mozzarella.

And what can replace mozzarella if you can't always find it in a convenience store?

About mozzarella

Mozzarella is not only one of the most famous varieties of Italian cheese, but also one of the oldest. The cheese, which was called "Mozza" (Mozza), was made in the XII century.

The main features of mozzarella are the consistency, taste and shape of a small ball.

Composition

To find out what kind of cheese can replace mozzarella, you need to figure out what its composition is. A cheese with a similar composition, appearance and taste will become its counterpart in some dishes.

Initially, mozzarella (like the aforementioned mozza) was made from the milk of a free-grazing buffalo. And not simple, namely black. Over the years, the recipe has been eliminated, and cheese made in this way has become a rarity. More affordable and popular types of mozzarella are made from a mixture of cow and buffalo milk or cow's milk.

Classic buffalo mozzarella is rich in protein and calcium, contains a huge amount of vitamins, amino acids and minerals. Due to the very low s alt content (less than 1 g per 100 g of product), the taste is lean, sweetish.

Appearance

Mozzarella is a small, about 200 g, ball or several small balls that are stored in cheese brine. Otherwise, the retention perioddecreases to one or two days.

The color of the cheese is pure white, not transparent. Consistency - elastic, not dense, watery, slightly creamy, with noticeable layers. When cutting the cheese ball, you can see the secreted milky liquid. The top layer is like a thin skin, a little denser.

What cheese can replace mozzarella?

Now, having figured out the qualities that are characteristic of this cheese, you can pick up similar varieties.

1. Of the Russian ones, the Adyghe one is very similar in taste. It's also low in s alt, yes, and looks a lot like mozzarella.
2. Another popular type of cheese is feta cheese. It is slightly more s alty than mozzarella, but you can get rid of excess s alt by pre-soaking the cheese in milk. This will give it a milder flavor.
3. Another substitute for mozzarella? Perhaps the most suitable variety is Georgian suluguni cheese. It is also made from buffalo milk, which is often substituted for goat milk.

Mozzarella DIY

In search of an answer to the question of how to replace mozzarella, there is another answer - cook it yourself. What will be needed for this? Of course, buffalo milk is harder to find than mozzarella, so let's look at a recipe using the available ingredients:

• Cow's milk, fat and as fresh as possible - 1 liter.
• Ready kefir - glass.
• S alt - tablespoon.
• Vinegar 25% - tablespoon

1. Heat the milk (do not boil!), turn off the heat.
2. Add s alt and kefir to the milk, mix. Add vinegar, cover, leave to infuse for half an hour
3. After this time, the whey should separate from the curd mass that has settled to the bottom. If it happens that this does not happen, then you need to heat the milk mass until the whey separates.
4. Put the colander in the pan and cover it with gauze. We spread the future cheese there so that the whey is glass. We will still need it.
5. Squeeze out the thickened milk mass well, make sure that the liquid has separated completely, wrap the cottage cheese in gauze, leave in a colander and put in the refrigerator until morning.
6. In the morning, remove the mozzarella, put it in a bowl, pour in the whey and put it in the refrigerator for another day. The cheese is ready.

That's it. Now you know how to replace mozzarella and how to cook this cheese if you do not want to replace it with anything.